On September 2, 2026, after a two-day jury trial, a Drew County jury convicted Taiwan Collins of two counts of Murder in the First Degree and one count of Terroristic Act. The convictions stemmed from the December 3, 2023, shooting at the old Wilmar High School.

Agents from the Arkansas State Police and the Drew County Sheriff’s Office investigated the shooting that ultimately ended in the death of two people. The shooting occurred shortly after the party concluded at approximately 2:10 in the morning. The City of Wilmar uses the old high school as a community center and in the past has rented out the facilities for events.

Jurors heard testimony from witnesses at the scene and that officers arrived at the at the school to find the bodies of Suquorey Pitts, and Independence Young. Special Agent Bo Norris testified that while processing the scene 100 shell casings were collected. Those shell casings were sent to the Arkansas State Crime Lab for firearms and tool marks examination, and the bodies were sent to the medical examiner’s office to determine the cause of death.

Associate Medical Examiner, Dr. Teddi Tubre testified that the cause of death for both men was gunshot wounds. Further testimony indicated that multiple firearms were used in the commission of the indicating multiple individuals firing weapons.

After finding Collins guilty, the jury heard additional testimony during the sentencing phase of the trial about the victims and the defendant. After the additional testimony was concluded, Circuit Judge Robert Gibson III sent the jury to deliberate as to punishment.  The jury recommended 25 years for the murder of Mr. Pitts, 20 years for the murder of Mr. Young, and 12 years for the Terrorist Act. The jury also recommended to the court that all sentences run concurrent with each other. Judge Gibson followed the jury’s recommendation and sentenced Collins to a term of 25 years in the Arkansas Department of Correction.

Prosecuting Attorney Frank Spain expressed his gratitude to the jury for their time and attention to this case. He further stated that based upon the law in effect at the time of the commission of the offense, Mr. Collins will be required to serve 70% of his sentence before he is eligible for release.

This entry was posted on Tuesday, September 8th, 2026 at 12:45 am and is filed under Court, Police /Legal. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. Both comments and pings are currently closed.